Fences–

Practical Elegance

A fence is one of the hardest working
elements of your home. It must be
functional—defining space, creating
privacy, providing shelter and shade.
It must be durable—resistant to pests
and able to weather harsh environmental
conditions. And it must be beautiful.

A good fence offers elegance and
utility. Redwood is the one building
material that gives you both.

Designing your

Fences

The stability, strength and elegance of
redwood make it the logical choice when
building a fence; but before you buy any
materials or choose a style, decide first
what you want the fence to do. Is its
primary purpose to mark a property line?
Should it be decorative? Does it need
gates or planter boxes? Do you want the
fence to block wind and sunlight? What
mood should it convey—formal or
relaxed, restrained or exuberant?

Once you have defined the fence’s role,
you need to choose the right redwood
for the job. Garden grades are probably
your best choice. The knotty texture and
beautiful color effectively accent the
natural setting of a garden. And durable,
pest-resistant Deck Heart or Construction
Heart are the right grades for posts or
portions of the fence close to the ground.

For a highly decorative fence, or where the
fence is to match a redwood-sided house,
an architectural grade such as Clear All
Heart or Heart B may be preferable.

For construction details and step-by-step
instructions on how to build a redwood
fence, refer to our booklet Redwood
Fences for All Reasons.

Heartwood

Sapwood

Architectural

Clear

Clear All Heart

Clear

Grades

Limited Knots

Heart B

B Grade

Garden

Knotty

Deck Heart

Deck Common

Grades

Construction Heart

Construction Common

Merchantable Heart

Merchantable

Choosing the

Right Style

Most fences fall under four basic designs.

Lattice: a light and delicate design that
can be readily pre-fabricated in a square
or rectangular frame which is nailed to
supporting posts. Lattice designs can
also be incorporated into other fence
styles, as in the panel and lattice com-
bination pictured on the front cover.

Picket: usually no more than four feet
high and with plenty of air space, picket
fences are best used as decorative
boundary markers or as a barrier for
pets and small children (bottom center of
opposite page).

Board-on-Board: an excellent “good-
neighbor” fence because it looks the
same from both sides (top of opposite
page). The flexibility in height and place-
ment of the boards allow for varying
degrees of privacy and protection from
wind and sun.

Panel: good solid barriers with a limited
amount of design flexibility. Alternating
panels provide visual variety and interest.

Several other styles are also popular.
Post-and-Rail is a good style for long
boundary fences. A louvered fence
can offer privacy and airflow, and a
basketweave pattern produces bold
shadow lines.

Nails and

Fasteners

Do-it-yourself fence builders should
remember to use only stainless steel,
aluminum or top-quality hot dipped
galvanized nails, bolts and fastenings
(electroplated galvanized is not accept-
able). Other types of fasteners will
corrode when exposed to moisture and
will cause unsightly stains on the wood.

Finishing the

Redwood

No other wood takes and holds finishes
better than redwood. It is one of nature’s
most maintenance-free building materials.
You can leave your redwood fence
unfinished, if you like—it will ultimately
weather to a soft driftwood gray.

If you choose to protect and/or alter
the color of the redwood, it will accept a
wide variety of finishes. Varnishes, clear
film-forming finishes, oil treatments and
“shake and shingle” types of paint are
not recommended.

Clear Water Repellents with
Mildewcide: modify weathering effect,
letting color and grain show.

Bleaching or Weathering Stains: low
maintenance; gray-toned, natural
appearance.

Semitransparent Stains: available in
several redwood hues; oil-based stains
recommended.

Solid Body Stains: film-forming
finishes, available in a wide variety of
opaque colors.

Paints: durable and attractive finish for
traditional exteriors.

California

Redwood

Association

405 Enfrente Drive, Suite 200
Novato, CA 94949
Telephone [phone]
Fax [phone]

Additional Literature
Landscape Architecture
Fences for All Reasons
Redwood Grades and Uses
Exterior Finishes
Deck Construction

Redwood—our renewable resource

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